


what happened in winterfell

by imnotalady



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drabble, F/M, Gendrya - Freeform, Happy Ending, Multi, Season 8, and a very awkward gendry, because my babies deserve it, post ep 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 01:27:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18862942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnotalady/pseuds/imnotalady
Summary: A few short scenes about the events in Winterfell when Arya left.Sansa’s POV.





	what happened in winterfell

**Author's Note:**

> Just a few ideas I had about how Sansa and Gendry reacted to Arya leaving.  
> As frustrating as the last two episodes were, ep 05 gave me a little hope for Gendrya and I just had to write this before D&D ruin everything again... Man I hope those leaks for the finale are fake.
> 
> Also, I don’t know if Gendry actually left for Kings Landing, but for the sake of this fic let’s just assume he stayed in the North.
> 
> Hope you like it!

“How long will the stocks last us?”

 

“Well, some of it burned down in the battle, but with the foreign armies gone we might just make it through winter. Given it won’t be longer than a year.”

 

She nodded at her advisor. “Then we should start rationing it, nevertheless. I won’t take any risks.”

 

Her gaze wandered over the courtyard. A few days after the battle, Winterfell seemed to have returned to its daily routine. Reparations were starting and she could hear the familiar hammering from the forges again. Everyone seemed eager to forget about the events as soon as possible, but she knew it would take a long time before that actually happened.

Suddenly, she spotted a tall figure passing them and a thought came to her mind.

“Lord Baratheon!”

The former bastard didn’t react. She called out his name once again, this time louder. Abruptly, he stopped, turned around and looked at her confused, before she could see his eyes widen in realisation. She held back a smile. It looked like he was still getting used to his new title.

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry m’lady, I didn’t realise-“ He cleared his throat and straightened his back a little. “How can I help you?”

 

Sansa examined the new Lord Baratheon for the first time since he arrived at Winterfell. Now that she saw him up close, his resemblance to the late King Robert was undeniable. _It looks like he didn’t inherit his confidence, though._ The young man was visibly uncomfortable in his new position, he was tugging nervously at the sleeves of his shirt. He seemed so tense that Sansa immediately felt a little sorry for him, so she smiled slightly.

 

“I was wondering how the work at the forges was going. From what I’ve heard, you’re in charge of the smiths.”

 

“Well, uhm, wouldn’t say in charge, but... aye, I’ve been working there with some of the remaining smiths. Figured it’s best to have some weapons prepared, just in case...y’know.”

 

She nodded. “That’s good to hear. Don’t hesitate to tell me if you run out of material. We need to be prepared for any possible outcome in King’s Landing.”

 

A shout interrupted their planning.

“M’lady!”

 

One of her men rushed across the yard towards her. He looked troubled.

 

“M’lady, we’ve got a problem. It’s about your sister.”

 

Sansa frowned. “Arya? Is everything alright with her? Where is she?”

 

He took a deep breath before answering. “Well, um, that’s the thing. Nobody knows where she is. Heard a maid saying she saw her riding through the gates last night.”

 

 _This can’t be happening._ Her face dropped and she stared at the man in disbelief, trying to process the news. Sansa exhaled sharply. Of course her little sister had to leave at the most inconvenient time possible. She had always been incapable of following plans that weren’t her own. _But where did she go? Why didn’t she tell me?_

No matter how much time she spent with her, Arya remained a riddle. Sansa still didn’t know everything about her past and to be honest, she wasn’t quite sure she even wanted to know. Nevertheless, it still hurt that her sister left without even saying goodbye. With Bran being the Three-Eyed-Raven and Jon a Targaryen, Arya was the only real family she had left. _The Hound’s with her. He’ll keep her safe._ Sansa closed her eyes and sighed deeply, then she turned to the squire again.

“Thank you for telling me, Podrick. Normally, I would send my men after her, but if she really is traveling with the Hound then she has more than enough protection. Not that she needs it, of course. I’m certain she’ll be fine.” _Gods I hope I’m right._

The young man seemed relieved, he nodded and made his way back to the castle. Sansa turned her attention to Lord Baratheon, trying to seem calm, as if nothing had happened.

 

“Uhm, where were we? Ah yes, the material. Do you have enough?”

 

He blinked surprised, as if he had just seen her standing in front of him. She noticed he looked a lot paler than before.

“M-Material?”

 

Sansa frowned. Didn’t he listen earlier? “The material for the weapons”, she clarified.

 

She could see his mind working, but clearly, something was distracting his thoughts. He still looked quite confused. There was something else flashing over his blue eyes, but she couldn’t quite pin it down. _Was it fear?_

Gendry cleared his throat in an attempt to collect his thoughts. Apparently it didn’t work.

“The weapons...”

 

_Gods, I really don’t have time for this._

 

“... to defend ourselves against possible enemies?” She finished impatiently.

 

He seemed to understand. Finally. “Oh. Yeah. Right. Uh- yes, I think we have enough.”Immediately he was back in his thoughts again.

 

Sansa shook her head as she watched him walk away over the courtyard into the exact direction he came from earlier. She exchanged a look with her advisor. _What in the seven hells was that?_

 

_***_

 

Her hands were slightly trembling as the she opened the scroll, a part of her terrified of the possible news. She knew the Northern troops must have reached the capital by now. 

Some of the tension immediately fell off of her as she recognized her brother’s - no, cousin’s- handwriting. He reported the attack on King’s Landing, which had gone different than planned. Very quickly, the combined forces of Dothraki, Unsullied, northern armies and the dragon had beaten the Lannisters. But when the city had surrendered, Daenerys Targaryen had continued to burn it to the ground, leaving almost no survivors. 

She frowned and read the last sentence again.

As shocking as it was, she couldn’t help but feel a little satisfied, for her judgement had been right again. _I told him that dragon queen couldn’t be trusted_. _I warned him_. With dismay, Sansa thought of the way those dragons had burned through the wights at the battle of Winterfell. She could only imagine the horrors their fire had brought to the millions of people in King’s Landing. From what Jon wrote, there wasn’t much left of the capital now.Suddenly she felt very guilty about her small victory. _I’ve been proven right. But at what cost?_

Fear crept back in her body as she realized something. Jon didn’t mention Arya in his letter. 

_Maybe she didn’t go to King’s Landing._

But she did. Sansa knew it in her heart. She knew her sister and she knew about the name still left on her list. She knew why Arya had left and what she intended to do. A horrible thought entered her mind. _What if she didn’t make it to Cersei? What if she died in the fire?_ Suddenly her head was filled with images of burning bodies, terrible screams and buildings collapsing. It would be impossible to find or even recognise her sister’s body if she died there. Sansa felt sick.

She shook her head, dismissing the thought. Of course Jon didn’t mention Arya. He didn't even know their sister left the North in the first place. There was no fucking way Arya Stark got killed in King’s Landing. _She can take care of herself. Hells, she killed the bloody Night King._

But the thought was persistent. It clung to her, filled her with dread and concern. Her hands started shaking again.

_Please let her be okay._

 

***

 

“M’lady?”

 

She looked up from the scrolls she was studying and was surprised to find the newly appointed Lord of Storm’s End standing in the solar.

He looked different than when she saw him a few weeks ago. Dressed in his old blacksmith clothes rather than the clean and fine leathers he had received, soot all over him and dark circles under his eyes. His face suggested he hadn’t slept properly in a while, let alone shaved. And, if possible, he seemed even more tense than before. _Something’s bothering him._

“Yes milord?”

 

“Please don’t... call me that” He stopped and looked at the floor. “It’s just Gendry.”

 

She smiled. “What can I do for you Gendry?”

 

“I’m really sorry to bother you m’lady, but, uhm, I was wondering...”, he stammered, then stopped.

 

The Lady of Winterfell frowned. “Is everything alright?” She examined his appearance again and her look became more concerned.“Gendry, how much did you work this week? Did you even leave the forge?”

He kept his eyes fixed on the floor. “It- It keeps my mind off of things. Don’t know what else to do, really.” He muttered.

Finally, his blue eyes met hers and she could see something flicker in them again. But before she could be certain about it, he got a hold of his emotions again. Gendry cleared his throat and looked at the scrolls before her.“Did you... receive any news about your sister?” His voice sounded casual, but Sansa noticed the concern in it. _Is he worried about her?_

She shook her head. “I’m afraid not. She was last seen on the Kingsroad a few weeks back. Why do you ask?” Her eyes studied him thoroughly, analysing his reaction. The Lord closed his eyes and sighed. “It’s just- I heard the queen left no one alive in King’s Landing.” 

 _How did he know where she went?_ Sansa raised an eyebrow slightly, but chose not to question him any further. The poor man looked troubled enough already. Besides, she was pretty sure she knew what was going on.

“Arya’s alive”, she reassured him. ”I can feel it. Nobody can kill her that easily, not even a dragon.” She got up from her chair. “Thank you for your concern. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

The former bastard nodded thankfully and exited the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

 

***

 

The battle for the Dawn was won, the White Walkers defeated, but winter still kept its cold grasp on Westeros. _Maybe I’ve just lived south for too long_ , she thought, _maybe I’ve gotten soft._ From her usual spot on the walls, she watched the fresh snow glisten in the morning sun. It looked so beautiful, so peaceful. Nobody would have guessed that the hills around Winterfell were soaked with blood just a few moons ago. The memories of that night still haunted her.

In that moment Sansa spotted some movement in the snow. It was a rider on a white horse. A small, dark-haired figure she would recognise anywhere. _Arya_.

She could feel a smile forming on her lips and her heart felt light as air as she rushed down to the courtyard to greet her sister.

The horse trotted through the front gate, seemingly with its last bit of strength. Arya looked exhausted, too, she could barely keep herself in the saddle. Sansa wondered how long she had ridden since her last break. _If she’d even taken a break._

Arya got off her horse, half falling and half sliding. She made a noise, something between a croak and a whimper as she stumbled into her sister’s arms.

“I was so worried about you, idiot”, Sansa whispered as she pulled her closer than ever, tears running down her cheeks. Her sister was covered in ash, dirt and blood, but never in her life had she cared less about getting her dress dirty. She breathed in that so familiar scent of wilderness that had always surrounded Arya, now almost completely overpowered by smoke, but still there. As she hugged her, Sansa noticed her little sister was trembling. She slowly let go of her and examined her face. The wound on her forehead had opened up again and she couldn’t tell if all of the blood on Arya’s face was hers. But what shocked her the most was the look in her eyes: It was a look of complete and utter terror.  _What happened to you?_

Both of them swirled around at the sudden thump behind them. Lord Gendry Baratheon had entered the courtyard, the hammer he’d been holding had slid onto the frozen ground. He looked as if he couldn’t believe what he saw.

Arya let go of her sister as she locked eyes with him. For a second, they just stood there, watching each other, before she croaked something that could have been his name and they fell into each other’s arms.

And for the first time in years, Sansa saw her little sister cry.

**Author's Note:**

> Would love to hear your thoughts about this!


End file.
